Braid is an indie 2D platformer/puzzle game, developed by Jonathan Blow, with artwork by webcomic artist David Hellman. It was released in April 2008 for the XBox 360, April 2009 for the PC, and May 2009 for the Mac.
I suck at descriptions, so here's a trailer.
...as you can see, the game's gorgeous, and, in game-play, it's a cross between Mario and Prince of Persia. Which makes the puzzles just that much more difficult.
Blow used his own money to fund the game, and has some very high opinions of and aspirations for it, which is fair enough really. It's a good game.
Where it really gets interesting is in the plot. Tim, little dude in a tux and tie, is searching for the Princess. The game starts in World 2, goes through 3, 4, 5 and 6, and ends with World 1, where Tim originally started. So, not quite as bad as Memento, in terms of following the timeline, but still a little bit tricky.
Each world manipulates time a little differently. For instance, in World 4, time moves according to the direction Tim's moving - forward when he runs forwards, backwards when he goes backwards, still when he stays in the same place. This makes pouncing on goombas a lot harder than it might sound.
The varying nature of time, along with having the beginning at the end, leads to an amazing moment in World 1. I'm not going to spoil it here. Blow also recommends not using guides, in order to enjoy the experience more. I, personally, think that most gamers are capable of making that decision for themselves. We know what guides do, and some of us are willing to trade the feeling of accomplishment for avoiding a feeling of frustration. It's up to you.
Gameplay-wise, as you go through the worlds, there are a few things to collect. Namely, twelve jigsaw pieces per world, and eight stars throughout the game. As far as I know, only one thing is permanently missable, and that's one of the stars. Here's a hint - don't assemble the jigsaw for World 3 right away.
I first heard of Braid when I was idly browsing TV Tropes (again, no link - once you get sucked into that place, you never leave). It was on a page talking about frustrating puzzles, such as one of the stars, for which you need to spend two hours standing on a cloud. Yes, that's two hours of real time.
I followed a link to the description of Braid, and it sounded fascinating. Being broke at the time, I then watched DarthBlingBling's Let's Play of the game. Click on that at your own risk, it's spoileriffic.
Finally, when I started this Completion Challenge - that is, to finish every game in my collection, in alphabetical order - I knew I wanted Braid to be part of it. So, I bought it, through Steam, for £6.99, which is pretty damn reasonable. Steam is one of the five recommended retailers on the Braid site, and the game's also available for the XBox 360, through the XBox Live Arcade.
I suck at descriptions, so here's a trailer.
...as you can see, the game's gorgeous, and, in game-play, it's a cross between Mario and Prince of Persia. Which makes the puzzles just that much more difficult.
Blow used his own money to fund the game, and has some very high opinions of and aspirations for it, which is fair enough really. It's a good game.
Where it really gets interesting is in the plot. Tim, little dude in a tux and tie, is searching for the Princess. The game starts in World 2, goes through 3, 4, 5 and 6, and ends with World 1, where Tim originally started. So, not quite as bad as Memento, in terms of following the timeline, but still a little bit tricky.
Each world manipulates time a little differently. For instance, in World 4, time moves according to the direction Tim's moving - forward when he runs forwards, backwards when he goes backwards, still when he stays in the same place. This makes pouncing on goombas a lot harder than it might sound.
The varying nature of time, along with having the beginning at the end, leads to an amazing moment in World 1. I'm not going to spoil it here. Blow also recommends not using guides, in order to enjoy the experience more. I, personally, think that most gamers are capable of making that decision for themselves. We know what guides do, and some of us are willing to trade the feeling of accomplishment for avoiding a feeling of frustration. It's up to you.
Gameplay-wise, as you go through the worlds, there are a few things to collect. Namely, twelve jigsaw pieces per world, and eight stars throughout the game. As far as I know, only one thing is permanently missable, and that's one of the stars. Here's a hint - don't assemble the jigsaw for World 3 right away.
I first heard of Braid when I was idly browsing TV Tropes (again, no link - once you get sucked into that place, you never leave). It was on a page talking about frustrating puzzles, such as one of the stars, for which you need to spend two hours standing on a cloud. Yes, that's two hours of real time.
I followed a link to the description of Braid, and it sounded fascinating. Being broke at the time, I then watched DarthBlingBling's Let's Play of the game. Click on that at your own risk, it's spoileriffic.
Finally, when I started this Completion Challenge - that is, to finish every game in my collection, in alphabetical order - I knew I wanted Braid to be part of it. So, I bought it, through Steam, for £6.99, which is pretty damn reasonable. Steam is one of the five recommended retailers on the Braid site, and the game's also available for the XBox 360, through the XBox Live Arcade.
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